How hard is it to make a surfboard?

Question

I have a sheet of eps foam and i want to make a longboard and im wondering how hard it is to make a board. and also where i could get a free template

Answer 1

I don't think this is a good idea unless you are trying to make something new and exciting in the way of a board.  Finding a template will be almost impossible, the people who make boards for a living aren't going to part with a template even for money and there just aren't very many amateur surfboard builders out there who might be willing to share their template.  So, you will probably have to shape your board yourself, this is done with a surfoam plane and a sander.  Once the board is formed you lay fiberglass cloth or mat over the board and pour polyester fiberglass resin over the fiberglass and work it in with a putty spreader.  When the fiberglass has hardened you sand it smooth and paint you board with a high quality automotive paint.  I think that you are going to find that it will be much easier and cheaper to buy a board than to make one.

Answer 2

To make one right, yes, it is hard. When I was kid in the '60s, we all thought the we were going to be great shapers and conquer the surfing world, and we shaped lots of boards in garages. We destroyed lots of great old boards (that would be worth thousands$ now), stripping them down for blanks.

Most of what we made was junk, but is was fun. It was pretty hard to do, and they never quite turned out the way we expected. Now, I don't know much about working with EPS, because we played around with PU. But, I imagine that the amount of effort it takes is the same.

For a template, we used to trace our buddies' boards (particularly if one of our buddies just bought the newest, hottest board on the market).

It will cost you a few $$$, especially if you need to buy a good power sander, but it can be fun.

http://www.surfersteve.com/misconception...

http://www.foamez.com/

Good luck!!

Answer 3

not to easy buddyyyyy

well, hey give it a shot

you never knowww

Answer 4

It's very difficult, materials are expensive, and chances are your first board will disappoint you. You can always copy the template of a friend's board. This guy spells it out pretty plainly:

http://www.surfersteve.com/introduction....

Answer 5

Don't do it. It is way to hard and expensive.

The Surfboard Man

http://www.thesurfboardman.com/

Answer 6

not that hard if you have ever worked with resin, fiberglass, sanding etc. i shaped and glassed a board when i was like 12 and it turned out pretty good